Electric heater for hog fountains



Dec. 29, 1953 F. M. BEEKLEY ELECTRIC HEATER FOR HOG FOUNTAINS Filed Aug. 3, 1951 Fred M. Beek/ey I N V EN TOR.

B Y M @550- Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC HEATER FOR HOG FOUNTAINS Fred M. Beekley, Middletown, Ohio Application August 3, 1951, Serial No. 240,130

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in electric heaters, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an electric heater of the character herein described, which may be conveniently and effectively employed for maintaining water in a hog fountain at a suitable temperature for drinking in cold weather.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its efficiency, in its dependability, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional hog fountain, showing the invention installed under the same;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the invention per se;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the invention, this view being taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the invention with the covers thereof removed;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a wiring diagram of the electrical components used in the invention.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference character l0 designates a conventional hog fountain under which is installed an electric heater, the latter being constructed in accordance with the invention and being designated generally by the reference character l2.

The heater l2 embodies in its construction a horizontally elongated housing M which includes a bottom I6, 9. pair of side' walls I8, and a pair of end walls 20. Moreover, a transverse partition 22 is provided intermediate the ends of the housing so as to separate the same into a relatively large compartment 24 and a relatively small compartment 25, and two removable covers 28, 30, are provided on the respective compartments of the housing as is clearly shown in Figure 2.

It is to be also noted that the housing I4 is provided with a set of supporting legs 32 which are formed with rows of apertures 34 to receive screws and wing nuts 36, 38 respectively, whereby the entire housing is supported in an elevated position above the floor or ground. Moreover, since the screws 36 are receivable selectively in the apertures 34, the housing may be raised or lowered as necessary to fit under the fountain Hi.

The bottom N3 of the housing includes an upwardly spaced liner 40 and a layer of heat insulating material 42 is provided between the bottom l6 and the liner 40, as is clearly shown in Figure 3. Moreover, a liner 44 and insulating material 46 are provided on the partition 22 as well as on the end wall 20 of the large compartment 24, and similar liners 48 and insulating material 50 are provided on portions of the side walls 18 of the large compartment 24, as indicated in Figure 5. In this manner the large compartment 24 is effectively insulated so that heat such as may be generated therein can escape only in an upward direction, through the cover 28, while passage of heat laterally or downwardly is discouraged.

The insulating material 46, 50 between the partition 22 and liner 44 and the end wall 20 and the liner 44 and the side wall portions I8 and the liner 48 is retained in position by suitable top plates or strips 52, 54 which are secured to the upper edges of the respective partitions and side Walls and liners, as is clearly shown in Figure 4.

A pair of transversely extending bars 56 of insulating material are mounted on the inner surfaces of the liner 44 and the partition 22 and carry a pair of bar-type heating elements 58, 60 which are connected in series by the conductors 62 and 66 to two thermostatically controlled automatic switches 64 and 6B.

The switch 64 is suitably mounted in the compartment 26 but the switch 68 is disposed outside the housing and as is clearly shown in the Wiring diagram of Figure 6, the two thermostatic switches are connected to a feed line 10 equipped with an attachment plug 12.

The thermostatic switch 64 is adapted to open at a relatively high temperature, for example, 70, while the switch 68 is adapted to close at a relatively low temperature, for example, 30. Side wall portions of the small compartment 26 are formed with a plurality of vent openings 14 so that a certain amount of circulation is maintained between the small compartment and the outside air.

When the invention is placed in use, let us say at a temperature of 50, the switch 64 will be closed and the switch 68 open, but when the temperature drops to 25, the switch 68 will be closed and the elements 58, 60 energized. When the temperature in the compartment 25 rises above 70, the switch 64 will open the circuit, thus saving current even though the temperature outside the housing still remains below freezing,

, It is believed that the advantages and'use of'the' invention will be clearly apparent from the fore..- going disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point-is; deemed unneca GSSBIY.

While in the foregoing there hasbeen shownand described the preferred embodiment oflthisi tomualpairof side-walls and a pair. of, endwalls;v

a transverse partition extending between said side walls intermediate the ends of the housing and separating the interior of the housing into a relatively large compartment and a relatively small compartment, said relatively large compartment having insulated walls and bottom, an electric heating element mounted in said large compartment, a thermostatic switch mounted in said small compartment and connected in series with;said element; and removable coplanar covers provided on" the respeotive'compartments of said housing.

FRED M. BEEKLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

